ROANOKE, Va. (AP) - A judge is recalculating prison sentences for four men convicted in a 1995 firebombing of a convenience store in Roanoke, Virginia.
The Roanoke Times reports the men, incarcerated for 22 years, had their sentences slashed to less than time served in September to reflect revised federal statutes.
They were convicted of using a destructive device during a felony, an offense that carried a mandatory 30 years’ incarceration plus any other prison time. The U.S. Supreme Court this year partially invalidated the statute on which the convictions and sentences were based, finding that penalty instructions were vague.
The convictions were then invalidated, and the sentences were cut by 30 years. Other convictions still are in effect. Three of the men may get additional prison time. A hearing is set for Wednesday.
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Information from: The Roanoke Times, http://www.roanoke.com
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